Businesses Join Forces Against Fracking

Over a Thousand Businesses Across New York State have banded together, calling on Governor Cuomo to Reject Fracking. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.

The "New Yorkers Against Fracking" coalition has announced that over a thousand businesses have signed on in support of a statewide ban on fracking. The businesses fear that fracking will jeopardize current jobs and reduce job growth in many industries, while putting people’s health at risk.

Ken Jaffe owns Slope Farms in the Delaware County Town of Meredith - he says his livestock business will end if hydrofracking is allowed

Jaffee also fears threats from ozone air pollution to animal health, food safety, crop yield and farm family health.

Larry Bennett of Brewery Ommegang (o-mah-gong) in Cooperstown believes fracking would directly threaten the local economy.

There are some who argue fracking has already made its mark on local communities... Darren Wiseman is a Real Estate Agent in Sullivan County

The new coalition sees fracking as a menace to public health. They say it lays down blankets of smog, fills roadway with trucks hauling hazardous materials, sends sediment into streams, and generates immense quantities of radioactive, carcinogen-laced waste for which no fail-safe disposal options exist.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's office did not return calls for comment.

The Cuomo administration is expected to make a decision on hydrofracking later this ummer. Over 100 towns and counties have enacted fracking bans or moratoria in New York State. Opponents are gathering in Washington D.C. for a national convergence this weekend called "Stop The Frack Attack."